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Political commentator Mike Indian asks, in the wake of the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan, whether the USA's role as world policeman is over? He points out how very dangerous American isolationism is likely to be. Although recognising that Parliament's holding the American President in contempt will have little real effect, he believes that the Commons debate on the issue showed the House of Commons at its best, with some very powerful speeches and some very abashed ministers. He also looks at the state of the Labour Party ahead of its forthcoming party conference.

Russ Mould, Investment Director of A J Bell, looks at the bid for Morrison's, explaining why it is attractive and pointing out how cheap the lacklustre UK market now looks for overseas investors. Although the FTSE 100 Share Index has been mostly immune, that's not the case with the 250. Is the UK now open for foreign takeovers and why are a growing number of companies shying away from listing on the stock market altogether?

In this week's tech show, Steve Caplin discusses the Swiss researchers who've calculated Pi to 82.8 trilllion digits; but how will the Guinness Book of Records check it? He also brings news of the first ever wooden satellite, the battery-laden caravan that won't slow your Tesla, Tesla's problems with flashing emergency lights, dissolvable smart watches, getting bacteria to find precious metals in the Brussels sewers, how to train self-driving cars for British, rather than Californian, weather, three-quarter size Ferrari Testarossas for children and more tongue-in-cheek Amazon reviews.

Simon and Georgie investigate some key personal finance issues ..

Difficult learning experiences during childhood can evaporate confidence for adult learning, resulting in a feeling of helplessness - a contrast with those whose confidence outshines their knowledge. Adam Cox helps out with a session which tackles those deep-seated reservations, and helps you to deliver results.

Disney’s blowout 3rd quarter is fuelled by growth in Disney+ subscribers. Airbnb predicts record revenue on the horizon. Unity Software’s 2nd-quarter report calms shareholder concerns. Boston Beer and Pepsi team up to create an alcoholic version of Mountain Dew. Jason Moser and Ron Gross analyse those stories, discuss the latest from eBay, Chegg, DoorDash, and The Trade Desk, and share two stocks on their radar: Outset Medical and bluebird bio. Plus, Motley Fool analyst Maria Gallagher talks with Julia Galef about her book, The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don’t.

In this episode from the vault, Morgan Housel joined us to talk about how to keep your emotions from sinking your wealth. We also discussed recent (lol, 2015!) allegations about Amazon’s toxic workplace culture.

From October, millions of households can expect to pay even more on their energy bills. Ofgem is raising the energy price cap for the second time in a year, due to rising wholesale costs. The cap is now at a record high and it means those who are on a standard variable tariff, or a prepayment meter, could be facing hundreds of pounds added to their annual bills. Lee Boyce, Grace Gausden and Georgie Frost take a look at the price cap, what it means and how to potentially beat it. When it comes to future technology, will we soon see the death of the landline to be replaced by phone calls over wi-fi? Additionally, with growing numbers of households – especiall rural ones – turning to satellite broadband, we explain how it works and the potential costs. When it comes to current accounts, we tend to stay loyal. But those who have switched, Starling Bank and Virgin Money have been the most popular destinations. It's a tale of two different switching mentalities – those who want branches and bribes, and those who simply want a sleek app and good customer service. Lastly, Grace on the Case launched 10 months ago. In that time, our senior reporter Grace Gausden has managed to claw back a total of nearly £206,000 for readers. She takes a look back at some of her most satisfying wins and her passion for helping This is Money readers achieve a fair result from a variety of different firms.

Adam Cox is joined by Danial Daychopan, CEO and Founder of Plutus, to discuss all things cryptocurrency. They explain what some of the jargon means, why crypto is becoming more widely used and what the future may be for the currency. Danial also talks about Plutus, and how it aims to bring crypto to everyday transactions. https://plutus.it

James Cameron-Wilson is positive about the UK box office, down 16% against a strong week but still up over 2,000% on last year! He reviews computer-animated Spirit Untamed w. Julianne Moore, gripping thriller Stillwater w. Matt Damon from Spotlight director Tom McCarthy and Mills & Boon-y The Last Letter From Your Lover w. Felicity Jones and Shailene Woodley. His DVD of the week is an utterly absorbing Ethiopian film Running Against The Wind.